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April 04, 2023

By Gary A. Puckrein, PhD

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact
Adjoa Kyerematen
akyeyematen@nmqf.org
202-220-8505

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 4, 2023) — National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF), a nonprofit research and advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring high-risk racial and ethnic populations receive optimal healthcare, announced today that Anna Norton, MS is joining the organization as the incoming Vice President for Community Engagement within the Center for Sustainable Health Care Quality and Equity (SHC).  Anna’s vast experience in advocacy, specifically as it relates to the health of minoritized communities, will help further the community engagement efforts of the SHC.

In her role at NMQF, Anna will provide strategic leadership in SHC’s clinical and community-based programs, including the DRIVE quality improvement education program, the Faith Health Alliance, HAIR Wellness Warriors, and Community Pharmacists Ambassadors program, along with the Health Champions program.  These efforts will focus on diabetes and other health areas critical to underserved communities of color, including health promotion, disease prevention, and chronic disease management.  

“I am very excited to have Anna Norton join the SHC team as the Vice President for Community Engagement.  She brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and achievement in promoting health quality and equity, and, importantly, always keeping the focus on the patient’s perspective,” said Dr. Laura Lee Hall, President of the Center for Sustainable Health Care Quality and Equity at National Minority Quality Forum. “Her leadership will assure the continued expansion of SHC’s work with clinical and community based health equity champions.”

Anna brings to NMQF 25 years of experience as an advocate, fundraiser, speaker, and leader in the non-profit sector. Prior to joining NMQF, Anna served as the Chief Executive Officer of DiabetesSisters, the only national organization focusing exclusively on the improvement of the health and quality of life of women living with and at risk of diabetes. In that role, she was able to develop diverse programming to reach women of color with vital information about diabetes, and put opportunities in place to drive research and collaboration in diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease and establish new relationships with relevant partners. 

Additionally, throughout her career, Anna has created leadership programs, organized national conferences, created a bilingual health outreach program, and authored numerous research articles on diabetes health. She has been featured in an assortment of health-related magazines and books, including Balancing Pregnancy with Pre-Existing Diabetes, A Woman’s Guide to Diabetes: A Path to Wellness and Diabetic Living. Anna is bilingual and a certified DEI professional, having worked in strategic development, leadership and volunteer management, event planning and fund-raising in a variety of health and social responsibility programs.

About National Minority Quality Forum
The National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research and advocacy organization based in Washington, DC. The mission of NMQF is to reduce patient risk by assuring optimal care for all. NMQF’s vision is an American health services research, delivery and financing system whose operating principle is to reduce patient risk for amenable morbidity and mortality while improving quality of life. For more information, please visit www.nmqf.org

About Center for Sustainable Health Care Quality and Equity
The Center for Sustainable Health Care Quality and Equity promotes sustainable healthy communities, especially those with diverse and underserved populations, through the provision of actionable data, research, and engagement of clinicians and community leaders. For more information, please visit www.nmqf-shc.org.